On May 8, 2025, the Festival of Joy at Heldenplatz will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Together with the Dresden Kreuzchor, conducted by Kreuzkantor Martin Lehmann, opera singer René Pape, and the choir Neue Wiener Stimmen, the Wiener Symphoniker will shape this significant memorial day – with an Austrian premiere and a world premiere.

The memorial service organized by the Mauthausen Committee has been promoting the process of remembrance since 2013 and encourages continuous engagement with history. It addresses the importance of peace and freedom in the present. Admission is free, as always. The concert will be broadcast live on ORF 3.

The Austrian premiere will feature Sven Helbig’s Requiem A – a work the German composer created under the impression of current conflicts and in memory of the victims of war and violence. It was premiered on 12 February 2025, at the Dresden Frauenkirche and calls for reconciliation through poetic imagery. The focus is on forgiveness and renewal. The music will be complemented by live visuals from Icelandic video artist Máni M. Sigfusson.

The evening will open with the world premiere of Beyond, a new piece by Austrian composer Marcus Nigsch, which he dedicates specifically to this occasion. The traditional conclusion will be Beethoven’s solemn finale of the Ninth Symphony, which, together with Schiller's Ode to Joy, reminds us of the shared responsibility to remember the past and prevent its repetition.